Neymar Jr’s Signature Football Tournament Finally Makes it Way to Manila!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Neymar Jr’s Five is the Brazilian forward’s signature football tournament – and a truly global phenomenon. Across six continents and more than 50 countries, five-a-side teams battle it out in 10-minute matches with a twist. Every time one team scores, the opposition loses a player, which makes it fast, technical, tactical – and unique in the world of football. More than 65,000 players from 47 countries signed up to play in the first year of Neymar Jr's Five and 2017 promises to be even bigger.

This year’s tournament is open to teams of five to seven players aged 16 to 25, and for the first time two over-aged players are allowed in the squad. Competing teams will need to have their Philippine passports on stand-by when registering. The teams will set out with the hope of making it to the World Final in 2017, at the Instituto Projeto NeymarJr in Praia Grande, Brazil.

Qualifying rounds will happen on two back-to-back Saturdays; February 18th and 25th, with the finals taking place on the 4th of March – all to be held at SPARTA Philippines in Mandaluyong.

Sign your team up now – and who knows, you could soon be playing on Neymar Jr’s home turf. Dare to dream, and outplay them all!

FB Event Page: win.gs/neymarjrsfiveph
Registration: www.neymarjrsfive.com

New Solutions from Accenture and SAP to Help Oil and Gas Companies Achieve Benefits Across the Hydrocarbon Value Chain

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Accenture and SAP SE are expanding their collaboration in the oil and gas industry to develop two innovative digital solutions with cloud capabilities.

Both will be designed to improve bottom-line benefits including increased downstream operating margins with reduced risk and increased upstream production with lower costs.

The Connected Hydrocarbons Logistics solution (CHL) will provide real-time total inventory of oil and gas companies’ hydrocarbon supply chain. Cloud networking will connect companies with suppliers and partners, optimizing hydrocarbon supply chain movements, visibility into secondary costs, and reducing working capital. Using the latest SAP technologies such as SAP S/4HANA software and SAP HANA Cloud Platform, along with the role-based SAP Fiori user experience, CHL will complement and enhance the capabilities of SAP for Oil and Gas industry solutions and other SAP solutions with end-to-end visibility with real-time analytics and improved supply and demand planning.

Accenture and SAP will also expand their Upstream Production Operations collaboration which provides solutions and services supporting the upstream operations value chain including Upstream Operations Management, SAP UOM, and Accenture’s rapid deployment upstream SAP S/4HANA template, Accenture Upstream Direct. The SAP Predictive Maintenance and Service solution is also being extended to provide early identification of potential asset performance issues. This will enable upstream operators to enhance production volumes while reducing maintenance costs and planning.

“The hydrocarbon value chain is at the heart of the downstream business, and today’s fragmented and often outdated IT landscape prevents oil and gas companies from unlocking all of the available value,” said Andrew Smart, managing director who leads Accenture’s energy practice. “We look forward to working with SAP and our clients to use Connected Hydrocarbons Logistics to unlock this value by better managing changes in supply, demand and commodity prices. Similarly, the new predictive maintenance tool from SAP can help operators further enhance upstream operations, in an environment of sustained oil price volatility.”

“This expanded innovation program will deliver two key digital capabilities our customers are demanding; a real-time view of all their product inventories, and the ability to predict asset failures and prescribe their best sequence of repair,” said Ken Evans, Global Vice President, Oil and Gas Industry, at SAP. “Our digital readiness survey confirms that while over 80 percent of the industry sees these capabilities as important, less than five percent have either of them today. Our collaboration with Accenture expands the portfolio of solutions delivering such digital transformations to the oil and gas industry.”

The new solutions built for SAP S/4HANA will be co-developed by Accenture and SAP under their SAP S/4HANA collaboration with the participation of clients from both companies to ensure that specific industry needs are met. In October, Accenture and SAP announced their collaboration to develop the next generation of predictive analytics solutions for asset management in the utilities industry to enable condition-based maintenance.

For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.

Hontiveros Pushes for a National Multi-Sectoral Strategy vs. HIV

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Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday pushed for the implementation of a national multi-sectoral strategy to address the rising incidence of HIV and AIDS in the country amidst reports that there will be 133,000 people living with HIV in the Philippines by 2022.

In a press conference in Quezon City attended by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups and organized by the DANGAL National Network, Hontiveros said that from 6,015 total cases in 2010, HIV/AIDS incidence in the country rose to a total of 33,419 during just the first quarter of 2016.

"The situation we face is dire," the senator said.

"The rapid increase in the last six years reflects an alarming landscape: the HIV is expanding in urban centers of the country, affecting disproportionately populations and communities that are marginalized and vulnerable: young Filipinos, gay and bisexual men, transgender people, and people who use drugs," Hontiveros added.

As a response, Hontiveros, who is also the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, filed Senate Bill No. 376 or the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Bill to introduce an evidence-based, human rights-informed, and gender-transformative HIV prevention and treatment plan.

Hontiveros said her bill will formulate a six-year National Multi-Sectoral HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan, which will incorporate a prevention program that will have a strong focus on education and accessibility of reproductive health services.

“80% of new infections come from men having sex with men. The median age of those diagnosed with HIV is below 35 years old” Hontiveros lamented. “At a time when stigma overrules government policies on this important health issue, we need to underscore that the foundation of curbing HIV must be based on the protection of human rights” she said.

The Senator maintained that new developments in prevention and treatment are available and must be maximized by the government. “Early diagnosis leads to early treatment and saves lives. Prevention, early detection and treatment must be made available by the government”, Hontiveros explained.

Hontiveros’ bill also seeks a comprehensive, inclusive and localized response towards HIV-AIDS. If passed, it will repeal Republic Act 8504 or the Philippine HIV AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998.

Care Divas Take the Stage to Raise Funds for HIV Advocacy

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LoveYourself, Inc. in partnership with the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) invites everyone to the 3:00 p.m. show of Care Divas on 5 February 2017 at the PETA Theater Centre in New Manila, Quezon City.

“This partnership with PETA is also a great way of tapping the arts as a means to educate the public not just with the plight of OFWs but with the struggles of the LGBT community including the stigma on HIV and social limitations,” LoveYourself Executive Director Ronivinn G. Pagtakhan said.

Care Divas will be re-staged as PETA’s flagship production for its 50th anniversary. It is a musical drama that tells the story of five transgender Overseas Filipino Workers in Israel who work as care givers and take the stage as drag queen performers at night. The production focuses on the struggle of these transgender women as they seek acceptance in a foreign land while making ends meet not just for themselves but for their families in the Philippines.

While the hit-musical will run from 3 February to 19 March, only the 3:00 p.m. show on 5 February is dedicated to LoveYourself.

Pagtakhan relayed that “All proceeds of the show will support the organization’s clinic operations and activities as it pushes for HIV awareness and caters to the needs of people living with HIV.” He also noted how the tie-up may shed light to the pressing issue of HIV involving OFWs.

Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open 2017: 10 Days of Fun in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

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Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open recently held it press conference or media launch to formally invite interested participants and spectators to come join them for 10 days of fun under the sun to compete, spectate, relax and join in on the good times on and off the waters of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

The media launch was held at Handle Bar in Makati on January 10, 2017 and was led by the main organizer and professional kiteboarder Paula Rosales representing the Philippines. She was also with professional kiteboarders Eric Rienstra from the USA, James Boulding of the UK and Manuela Jungo of Switzerland. 

Paula Rosales, one of the top female freestyle kite boarders in Asia, spoke on behalf of Blue Palawan and the local riders from Boracay, and their recent partnership with the Department of Tourism.

The four announced their inaugural event of the season: the 2017 Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open. The highly anticipated and successful kiteboarding event initiated last year is back for its second run as the first event of the world renowned Kite Park League Tour. Kicking things off with a qualifying event held at Blue Palawan in beautiful Puerto Princesa on Palawan Island, Philippines on February 6th & 7th. 

The qualifier is open to anyone and is your chance to compete alongside the world’s best kite boarding park riding talent at the world's most tropical kite park. The top two men and two women from the qualifier will join the invited 24 riders on Tuesday February 7th for opening celebrations and will collectively compete for their chance at the title during the main event to immediately follow the open qualifier from February 8th to 16th.

Action Pack Flick, Sleepless Soon to Be Shown this January 13, 2017

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Multi-talented actor and recording artist Jamie Foxx is an undercover cop with strong links to the drug trade in his latest action-packed flick Sleepless. Foxx, who plays Vincent Downs, connives with his partner (played by rapper T.I.) to steal a cache of drugs from a powerful criminal mastermind, who orders his son kidnapped. The distraught dad is spurred to action, in a bid to rescue his son from the drug lord’s henchmen as he blasts his way through the Vegas nightlife.

The movie is a remake of the 2011 French film Sleepless Night, full of nonstop gun-wielding action and punchy lines, guaranteed to keep you breathless as you go along on Vincent’s mission to bring his son safely home. Breath-taking car chases, explosions, and thrilling fight scenes mark the movie as a must-watch for any action enthusiast.

Michelle Monaghan, who came off from the first season of True Detective, with a Golden Globe nomination and was recently seen in the Pixels movie is also in the cast, along with rapper Young Jeezy, Drew Sidora, Dermot Mulroney, and Gabrielle Union.

The film is directed by Baran Bo Odar, whose German series Dark shows on Netflix next year. Andrea Berloff penned the razor-sharp script. The movie shows in Philippine theaters on January 13, 2017, exclusively distributed by Octoarts Films International.

​​Jerome S. Paye Proudly Represents Liberia in Upcoming Fight

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Liberian standout Jerome S. Paye is all geared up for his three-round flyweight encounter with Indonesian prospect Stefer Rahardian on the undercard of ONE: QUEST FOR POWER in Jakarta, Indonesia on 14 January.

Paye made his ONE Championship debut against China’s Li Hao Jie in February 2016, showcasing a well-rounded set of techniques and stifling his opponent with an array of striking combinations. However, he fell short in his bout against his Chinese foe by way of unanimous decision.

With the ability to make fights difficult for any opponent, Paye looks for career redemption as he is set to make his return to the ONE Championship cage in Jakarta, Indonesia to face Rahardian.

“I am very excited for my upcoming fight. I really want to show the fans here in Asia what I am truly capable of,” Paye said of his marquee match-up against Rahardian.

Coming off a decision setback nearly a year ago, Paye admitted that he is so eager to place himself on the winning track and claim his first win in Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.

“For every good fighter, it’s their big dream to get a win in an international MMA organization like ONE Championship. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that chance in my last fight. Now, I have to redeem myself in front of the whole world. That’s why I am so eager to get this win,” he stated.

IoT is the Weakest Link for Attacking the Cloud

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As cloud-based services continue to increase in scope and scale, there isn’t a single organization that wouldn’t benefit in some way from the cloud. Indeed, with the promise of lowering OPEX, while reducing or even abolishing CAPEX, the cloud can enable an organization to better focus on its core business, which is something that every C level executive wants to hear these days.

As a result, the cloud has seen immense growth over the last couple of years. But the security risks that arise from such a profound change are not to be taken lightly.

According to industry research, more than 95% of all enterprises today have at least one system on the cloud, with 71% of these companies having some of their assets running on a hybrid cloud. The cloud is here to stay, and has already shifted the way these companies conduct their business.

One of Fortinet’s predictions for 2017 is that the IoT will become the weakest link for attacking the cloud. That threat can come in many forms, as IoT devices have been shown to be more likely to contain easily exploitable vulnerabilities, making then a growing target for cybercriminals seeking, for example, to expand their botnets and weaponize them.

IoT-based DDoS attacks have already shown their power to disrupt business. The attack that recently hit the DYN infrastructure, for example, was so massive that it reached the 1Tb/s mark, with all traffic being sent from IoT devices.

Not only are IoT devices an attractive target because of their inherent insecurity, but also for the role they play in some organizations, such as CCTV Cameras, which can provide real time information about everything that is happening at a given location.

Igor Subora Feels Privileged to Represent Philippines in ONE Championship

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ONE Championship light heavyweight fighter Igor Subora might have been born and raised in Ukraine, but he found his second home 5,580 miles away from his birthplace.

Subora was captivated with the beauty of the Philippines when he first visited the country in 2007, leading him to his decision to migrate a year after.

Permanently residing in the Philippines opened a lot of opportunities for Subora, including a prizefighting career in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).

As a fixture in the local MMA scene in the Philippines, Subora instantly became a household name. He remarkably conquered the country’s heavyweight landscape by finishing five of his first six assignments in impressive fashion.

Moreover, Subora captured a local MMA promotion’s heavyweight championship belt by way of a 49-second knockout in 2011 and reigned for three years undisputedly.

His success in the Philippine MMA circuit served as his footstool to be noticed by ONE Championship, which is widely regarded as the largest MMA organization in Asia.

Although he is not Filipino by blood and citizenship, Subora feels a sense of pride representing the Philippines on a global MMA stage like ONE Championship.

“The Philippines is my home away from home. It’s a beautiful country. I met my wife here. I also started my MMA career in this country. I am grateful for everything that this country has given me. To me, it’s an honor representing the Philippines in my international fights,” he stated.

Converge ICT Enables De La Salle Philippines to Enhance Educational Service Delivery

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Converge ICT, a provider of world-class ICT products and services in the country, amplifies further its efforts to benefit academic institutions with better internet connectivity as it recently tied up with De La Salle Philippines (DLSP). Converge ICT now serves as a major provider for DLSP sites in Luzon.

"It has been one of the company’s thrusts to equip academic institutions with better internet connectivity through the capabilities of pure fiber technology. We believe access to information is a necessity for their community to be able to advance and compete,” said Jesus Romero, chief operating officer of Converge ICT.

For DLSP, extending the best learning environment for their student means allowing them to access to interactive, personalized instruction, which has been found to improve learning outcomes.

According to James Sy, director of IT services office of DLSU-M, Lasallian schools have been using the internet to have a more conducive and advanced learning environment. For instance, some classrooms are now equipped with digital modules, which require broadband access to view multimedia materials and online academic enrichment services.